If you've been reading my blogs and thought "Wow, he really knows his basketball", just wait because that's nothing compared to what I know about professional wrestling. This was going to be a column about the NBA trading deadline but my Celtics didn't do anything and it's just too disappointing to write about how the Lakers were the big winners. So because of that I'm diving into Wrestlemania and proving how big of a dork I really am.
With two weeks to go until the big show there have been seven matches announced. In the undercard we'll watch The Big Show take on Cody Rhodes for the Intercontinental Title, a 12 man tag team match for control of Raw and Smackdown, and a divas tag team encounter featuring Kelly Kelly and Maria Menounous fighting champion Beth Phoenix and Eve. I would expect at least one more match to be added to the undercard but of all of those matches the one I'm looking forward to the most is Rhodes vs Big Show. Cody, the son of the American Dream Dusty Rhodes and brother of Goldust, has really broken out this year as a great entertainer and should get the win over Show. If you're unfamiliar with the Rhodes Family, check them out in this video.
The real draw of this Wrestlemania are the FOUR main events on the card. How can there be four main events you ask? Very simple actually, there are two world titles and then anytime the Undertaker or the Rock are in a match they are automatically main events. The four this year consist of Sheamus challenging Daniel Bryan for the World Title, CM Punk defending his WWE Title against Chris Jericho, HHH taking on the Undertaker in a Hell in a Cell, and the biggest one of all, John Cena versus The Rock. Let's break down all of them, starting with the least interesting.
Sheamus vs World Champion Daniel Bryan: Since there's probably a good chance that you don't know who either of these people are, let's start with a couple videos so that you can get an idea of, at least, what they look like.
So now that you at least know who they both are, let's break down the matchup. As far as in ring talent goes, these two are both very good, Bryan is even considered by many to be the best in the world. The matchup should be very entertaining, as the two have worked well together in the past. I think my favorite part about Daniel Bryan is that he's approximately 5'10" tall and 190lbs, exactly the same size as I am. At the moment he's playing a character that is technically a "bad guy" but there's no way I can cheer against him in this match. As for my prediction, it's set up for Sheamus to be the conquering hero and take out Bryan, so I'm leaning towards that's what's going to happen.
Chris Jericho versus WWE Champion C.M. Punk: Let me get this out of the way now because I know someone is wondering, "What is the difference between the World Title and the WWE Title?" The difference is that one is the top title on Smackdown and the other is the top title on Raw. Chris Jericho and C.M. Punk are fighting over the top title on Raw, otherwise known as the WWE Championship. So with that cleared up, let's go to the videos for these two guys. First up is C.M. Punk, the promo that made him a superstar and the goosebump inducing entrance he had at the Money in the Bank ppv last year.
And two moments of JericHistory, first his 2012 return to the WWE and then his original debut back in 1999, the debut that made him a star in professional wrestling.
As for the actual match, I would guess that C.M. Punk will emerge victorious, after what should be a VERY entertaining match. Punk and Jericho are two of the greatest in-ring talents and mic workers of all time in professional wrestling. Punk has just been on too much of a roll to have Jericho take the title now, especially when rumors are that Jericho will be taking off the spring to tour with his band, Fozzy.
Triple H vs The Undertaker: Anyone that has ever watched wrestling should be able to tell you who the Undertaker is and most likely will be able to tell you who Triple H is. The Undertaker has a 19-0 record at Wrestlemania and every match over the last 8 years or so has been promoted as someone trying to break the streak, and this year is no exception. Triple H has twice tried to break the streak, failing in 2001 and last year. With both wrestlers being only part time attractions these days, I can't see HHH breaking the streak. There should be limited drama over the result and Undertaker should get to 20-0. The interesting part of the match is that it will take place in a Hell in a Cell with Shawn Michaels as the special guest referee. Michaels has a storied history with both men, actually having wrestled both HHH and Undertaker in a Cell match himself. Some of you also may remember that Shawn and HHH formed the group known as Degeneration-X, starting in late 1997 and reforming in 2006.
And now for the videos for these two. First we'll start with the moment when the Undertaker returned to challenge HHH to a match at Wrestlemania.
Highlights from last years match, a true battle between two of the all time greats.
And finally, a tribute to the special referee Shawn Michaels. His history with both men is well documented and should be a nice addition to an already great match.
The Rock vs John Cena: Let's be honest, this is the real main event of the show. This is the match a year in the making, having been made the day after last years Wrestlemania. The Rock coming back in February 2011 was a huge shock for most wrestling fans and was trumped in November when Rock put on the wrestling tights again for a match, his first in almost 8 years. John Cena was extremely critical of the Rock when he returned, using the fact that Rock left for 7 years as a reason for why the fans shouldn't cheer him. This whole match really breaks down into one main question, how old are you? If you're a fan that has been watching for a while and is old enough to remember when the The Rock was the man from 1998-2002, then you're cheering for him, however if you are younger and started watching later then John Cena is your guy. For me, I'm pulling for the Rock to get the win. Adding to the drama of the match is that it will be taking place in the Rock's hometown of Miami, Florida. There's going to be a lot of videos for this one, because the two are so great and the build has been so long. So let's get started.
We'll start with John Cena, featuring what Cena used to be like and what he is now. First, the John Cena that I was a fan of back in 2003 when he was doing his Vanilla Ice/white rapper thing.
Then moving on to what he's become....issuing a challenge to the Rock
The Rock coming back has brought out some of the old edge that Cena used to have, the edge that made me a fan back in 2003 and would make me a fan today.....but he just doesn't have "it" anymore.
So that's John Cena, let's move on to the Rock. This is probably my favorite Rock moment ever.
The return of the Rock in 2011
The Rock Concert for John Cena
These two are arguably the two most entertaining wrestlers of the last 15 years and in two weeks they'll go one on one to decide who the best really is. As far as I'm concerned, no matter what happens, the Rock will always be the best all around entertainer I've ever had the privilege of watching on a wrestling show.
Thanks for reading, I assume 99% of you have now confirmed your assumptions as far as me being a huge dork are concerned. I hope you enjoyed the videos, I had a good time watching them again. My hope is that next year I get to write something like this again, but that the big star making his comeback to the ring is a different guy.....maybe someone who will open up a can of whoop ass or stomp a mudhole and walk it dry or flip the bird...someone like,
Be sure to leave a comment, become a fan of the blog, and go back and read all my other blogs.
-Josh
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